Tri-Verse Saga---Book I---Requiem of a Jedi
by ScottyD117
Summary: When Ahsoka Tano is accidently transported to another galaxy, she must make an unlikely alliance against an enemy far deadlier than anything she has encountered before. Meanwhile, Buck and his squad deal with their newest member, and the new Captain of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn II struggles to fill the shoes of her predecessors. AU. Rated M for Blood, Gore, Language, and Violence.
1. Close Encounters

_**Okay, let me just say that I apologize for taking this down. Because of some personal issues, I lost inspiration to continue had decided to delete Requiem of a Jedi until I could regain my confidence. Now that I'm feeling better, I have decided to repost ROAJ as the first book of the Tri-Verse Saga. This prologue will be posted as the first chapter for ROAJ, albiet a short chapter. The next chapter, the interlude, will be a little different, as the POV of my OC will be in first person; so basically, a revised chapter. You'll also notice that the Characters and Technologies List is absent from this version of the story. Instead of having it here, it will posted separately from ROAJ, as will the Tri-Verse Saga Timeline. I'll try to update as periodically as possible, but with my vacation to Austin for the 2014 Rooster Teeth Expo coming up in a few weeks, I make no promises.**_

_**On a side note...HALO 2 ANNIVERSARY, THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION, AND HALO: NIGHTFALL WAS ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY! AND THE ARBITER IS BACK IN HALO 5: GUARDIANS! HEEEEELLLLLLL FUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKIIIIIINGGGGG YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!**_

_**Now that I got that off of my chest, without further ado, here's Chapter 1: Close Encounters**_

_**Note: I do NOT own Star Wars or Halo, so DON'T sue me because I AM BROKE! However, all original content is mine.**_

Chapter 1: Close Encounters

**Jedi Temple, Coruscant, 21 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin)**

_Pained, betrayed, and saddened couldn't even begin to describe how I feel_, thought Ahsoka Tano. As the Togrutan walked towards her starfighter, she thought back to the events that led to this: the attack on the Jedi Temple, the investigation, the murder of a prisoner, all leading up to a betrayal she didn't see coming.

While out on a mission with her Master Anakin Skywalker, the Temple had been attacked. When recalled back to Coruscant to investigate, they found the woman responsible, who had literally turned her husband into a walking time-bomb. Ahsoka had gone to talk to the woman, only to be stunned when the prisoner was lifted into the air by someone and Force choked. As if that wasn't enough to stun her, Ahsoka was then accused of murder, one she didn't even commit. She was then chased down to the lower levels of the planet, where she made a surprisingly temporary truce with the assassin Assaj Ventress. She was finally captured and brought back to the Temple to be tried. In the end, Ahsoka was cleared of the charges after Skywalker had captured the true traitor, Barriss Offee, Ahsoka's closest friend.

But, even when the Jedi Masters asked her to come back to the Jedi Order, she knew in her heart that she wouldn't return. The scars she gained from the whole ordeal would haunt her if she returned. The Masters didn't trust her in the beginning, so how could she trust them? The only one who had come through for her, one she could always trust, was Skywalker.

Ahsoka sighed, a single tear streaking down her face as she thought back to the conversation she just had with Skywalker, how Anakin understood how she felt about leaving everything behind to start a new life. _I know, Ani. I always knew, about you and Padme, about how you wanted to have a future with her outside of the Order. Don't worry, Ani, your secret is safe with me_, she thought.

It was at the end of the conversation that Skywalker had surprised her with a gift: Her lightsaber. It had been taken away from her when she was captured, but Anakin had held on to it, believing that she had been framed for everything. She had gratefully accepted it, remembering that if it wasn't for him, her life would've been over.

As she neared the landing pad outside of the Temple, she saw that her astromech droid, R6-D4, was already waiting inside one of the ships there. She flashed a small smile as she gazed at her red, green, and white ship.

Ahsoka was glad that the Jedi Counsel let her keep her starfighter. The Delta-7B _Aethersprite_-class Light Interceptor, also know as the Jedi Starfighter, was an improved advancement to the original Delta-7. The basic design was the same, with its triangular-shaped appearance remaining unchanged. There was, however, one key difference: The old Delta-7's had astromech droids, specifically the R3 series, permanently installed. There was no way the pilots could bring their other astromechs, without having to use a much larger transport, on certain missions, ones that require the help of an astromech. The designers saw this detail, and created the Delta-7B. This design allowed other astromechs, such as R6, to integrate with the outside of the ship, and then disengage from the ship whenever their services were required elsewhere.

As she climbed into her fighter and powered it up, R6 started beeping and whistling. His translation appeared on the screen in front of her: "Where are we going?"

Ahsoka sighed and said, "I don't know, little guy. Someplace where we can get away from this war, hopefully." She lifted her starfighter off of the landing pad and flew it up towards the sky.

As the fighter reached the upper atmosphere, the droid beeped another question: "How about Bespin? From what I can gain from the database, the war hasn't reached its system, yet."

"That may be true, R6, but with the war as it is now, that could change very quickly," she pointed out. "However, seeing as how I can't think of anyplace else to go, I guess we can give it a shot."

The Delta-7B, after finally leaving the upper atmosphere of Coruscant, glided past some _Venator_-class Star Destroyers towards one of the Syluire-31 Hyperspace Docking Rings orbiting the planet. After docking with one of them, Ahsoka entered the coordinates to Bespin and activated the hyperspace drives. The stars stretched on of her viewport, and in a split-second, the ship accelerated into hyperspace.

Knowing that it would take about an hour to reach Bespin, she said, "R6, let me know when we're reaching Bespin." R6 whistled an acknowledgment as Ahsoka closed her eyes and started meditating.

As she started, she felt something in the Force. She couldn't figure out what it was, so she reached out to the Force. She tried to make heads and tails of it, but all she gained from it was that it neither felt good nor bad...just _odd_.

As she was about to reach out again, a loud shrill brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes and realized that it was R6. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I don't know! Something's making us drop out of hyperspace. We're about to be near Hoth," his translation exclaimed.

The ship then abruptly exited hyperspace—right in front of a _Providence_-class Carrier.

"Fierfek!" she cursed.

**Hoth System, 17 BBY**

General Grievous watched from the bridge of his _Providence_-class flagship, the _Invisible Hand_, as the Confederacy of Independent Systems fleet continued to fire on the Republic Star Destroyers orbiting Hoth. His fleet, consisting of two _Lucrehulk_-class Droid Control Ships, twelve _Munificent_-class Star Frigates, and one recently built _Subjugator_-class Heavy Cruiser, the _Enmity_, had earlier caught the Republic completely by surprise. The _Enmity_, at the front of the fleet, had immediately turned, so that her starboard side was facing the Star Destroyers, and fired her ionic cannon just as the Republic had launched hundreds of BTL-B Y-wing Starfighters and Alpha-3 _Nimbus_-class V-wing Starfighters. The fighters dodged out of the way of the massive ionic field, but two of the Star Destroyers weren't fast enough. The field passed right through them, disabling everything on the ships, including shields, weapons, and communications. The CIS fleet had then started to fire everything they had at the two ships, eventually causing them to explode into fields of fire and debris.

"Launch fighters!" Grievous commanded.

"Roger, roger," one of of B1 Battle Droids at a console acknowledged.

Soon, space was filled with green and red turbolaser fire, Y-wings and V-wings, and Droid Tri-Fighters and Vulture Droid Fighters. Star Destroyers were being disabled and destroyed left and right. The Republic was losing and the CIS was winning.

The communicator on his command chair beeped for attention. Grievous touched a button and the hologram of his Sith leader, Count Dooku, appeared before him.

"General Grievous," Dooku began, "I assume everything is going well?"

"As planned, Count," Grievous said. "Two of the Republic's ships have been destroyed and their communications have been jammed. The whole system has gone blind."

"Excellent. Soon, this system will be ours. Continue with the plan, General. Hold nothing back," Dooku said.

"When have I held anything back, Count?" Grievous then cut communications with Dooku and said, "Ready the landing craft for launch!"

"Roger, roger," a B1 said. The droid was about relay the message when he exclaimed, "Uh, sir, a ship is dropping out of hyperspace in front of us. Design matches that of Jedi Starfighters."

"What?!" Grievous was stunned. The enemy's communications were jammed. How could the Republic have learned about the attack so quickly?

Sure enough, a red, green, and white ship dropped out of hyperspace right in front the _Invisible Hand_. Grievous immediately recognized the starfighter. _Tano, Skywalker's pet!_ He then roared out one command:

"DESTROY THAT SHIP!"

**XXXXXX**

Ahsoka felt turbolaser fire hit the Hyperspace Ring. She quickly detached her starfighter from it and veered away from the _Invisible Hand_, just as the Ring exploded into metal fragments. She watched as the CIS fleet continued to fire on the last remaining Star Destroyers.

"R6, contact the Republic fleet! Tell them that we need immediate assistance!" Ahsoka commanded.

"I can't!" R6's translation exclaimed. "Communications are jammed! I can't raise the fleet!"

The _Enmity_ fired her ionic cannon at the last Star Destroyer, and Ahsoka watched as turbolaser fire repeatedly impacted on the ship, eventually causing it to explode. The _Enmity_ turned her starboard side towards the starfighter.

Ahsoka then had an idea. _The asteroid belt! I can lose them there!_

She accelerated towards the asteroid belt as the _Enmity_ charged up her ionic cannon for another shot. _By the Force, please let us get there before it fires,_ she thought as she kept dodging turbolaser fire.

Suddenly, R6 let out a loud shrill just before a turbolaser shot blew his head clean off. Ahsoka felt a pang of sadness as his head tumbled into space. Just as she turned her head to watch the head fly off into the distance, she saw the _Enmity_ fire an ionic field towards her.

She quickly dove down and watched as the field passed right over her starfighter and towards an asteroid at the edge of the asteroid belt. As the field passed through the asteroid, Ahsoka felt that odd disturbance in the Force again, this time stronger than before. She was about to reach out through the Force when, suddenly, the asteroid fragmented.

In its place was a huge, metal sphere, about four hundred meters in circumference. It was smooth and gray, with some sort of weird symbol, a ring wrapped around a small circle, engraved on the front. The symbol also seemed to be glowing.

Then, without warning, a beam of energy shot out from the small circle and exploded in front of Ahsoka, creating what looked like a black hole with blue energy swirling around it. Ahsoka turned her starfighter around and tried to fly away from it, but the black hole was pulling her in like a tractor beam. Her vision started to become blurry and she became lightheaded. Before she succumbed to the blackness of unconsciousness, she heard a voice speak out in her head:

_I have long dreamt of this moment, Reclaimer._

Grievous watched in astonishment as the black hole collapsed in on itself. Both Tano and the sphere were gone. It was as if they had ceased to exist.

**Secure Facility, Unknown Location, Unknown Time**

The man took a seat on his side of the table and looked towards the old woman sitting across from him. "Tell me about the children," he said.

Catherine Halsey, creator of the SPARTAN-II program and now a notorious criminal, didn't hear him. She was lost in thought, remembering the little boy she had kidnapped and turned into a soldier. The luckiest of the Spartans. John.

The interrogator again tried to get her attention. "Dr. Halsey?"

Halsey finally looked up at him, her eyes tired and grave. She looked at him for a long time and said, "You already know everything."

The interrogator gave her a hard look before stating, "You kidnapped them."

"Children's minds are more easily accepting of indoctrination, their bodies more adaptable to augmentation. The result was the ultimate soldier. And because of our success, when the Covenant attacked, we were ready."

The man scoffed. "Dr. Halsey, your bending history to your favor and you know it. You developed the Spartans to crush human rebellion, not to fight the Covenant."

What he said was true. The Spartans were originally developed to deal with the Insurrectionists. When the Covenant glassed Harvest in 2525, and started the Human-Covenant War, Halsey's Spartans were not ready to deal with this kind of enemy. But, they rose to the challenge anyway, and ended up fighting the Covenant for the next twenty-seven years.

She said as much. "When one human world after another fell to the Covenant, when my Spartans were all that stood between humanity and extinction, nobody was _concerned_ over why they were originally built."

"So you thought in the end that your choices were _justified_," the man spat out.

Halsey put her cuffed hands on the table and replied, "My work _saved_ the human race."

In a way, that was also true. The luckiest of her Spartans, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, had risen above the others, fighting back the Covenant, eradicating the Flood, saving Cortana from the Gravemind, and destroying a Halo ring, Installation 04, to prevent it from activating. Now he was missing in action, lost to the stars.

The interrogator, however, didn't see it that way. With venom in his voice, he asked, "Do you think the Spartans' lack of basic humanity helped?"

Halsey looked at the man quizzically. He was different than the interrogators she face before. "What are you after?" she asked. "The others before you were Naval Intelligence, but _you—_you're something else."

"Records show Spartans routinely exhibited mildly sociopathic tendencies, difficulty with socialization. Furthermore..."

"_The records show_ efficient behavior operating in hazardous situations," Halsey argued. "I supplied the tools to _maintain_ that efficiency."

"But do you believe the Master Chief succeeded because he was, at his core, _broken_?" he asked with spite.

It felt like the temperature of the room dropped twenty degrees cooler. Halsey narrowed her eyes at him and asked with steel in her voice, "What does John have to do with this?" Her eyes then widened in surprise as she realized what he was saying. "You want to replace him."

The interrogator looked at her coldly. "The Master Chief is dead."

"His file reads 'missing in action'," she argued.

The man chuckled darkly. "_Catherine_, Spartans never die?"

Halsey stood up and said, "Your mistake is seeing Spartans as military hardware. My Spartans are humanity's next step. Our destiny as a species. Do not underestimate them." She then looked at the man straight in the eye and added, "But most of all, _do not_ underestimate..._him_."

**Unknown Location, Unknown Time**

Against the inky blackness of space, the _CAS_-class Assault Carrier, _Song of Retribution_, glided through an asteroid belt. In its path was the planet it had been searching for, a Shield World, built by an ancient race long gone, a race that wiped itself out so that others could survive.

On board the _Retribution_, a Sangheili Commander walked through the doors of the bridge. It was a circular room with other Sangheili at different stations. He walked up the ramp of a raised platform, where Jul 'Mdama, leader of the Covenant Remnant, was gazing at the hologram of the planet.

The commander clicked his four mandibles, raised a closed four-fingered fist across his chest, bowed towards 'Mdama, and said, "Shipmaster 'Mdama...It is where you said it would be."

The Shipmaster turned towards the commander and replied, "No, my loyal friend. The planet is where the Forerunners promised us it would be."

'Mdama turned back to the hologram. "Find us a way inside," he commanded. He then pressed his mandibles together in a smile and added, "Requiem's treasures will be ours."

_**Don't forget to review! Next chapter, we are introduced to both our main character and everyone's favorite Sangheili.**_


	2. Once More Unto The Breach

_**AN: The first half of this chapter is pretty much the same, but I have changed the second half a little bit, turning my OC's POV from third person to first person. The AN at the bottom is still the same as last time.**_

_**Disclamer in the first chapter.**_

Chapter 2: Once More Unto the Breach

**3 Years Later  
****Vadam Keep, Sanghelios, First Age of Redemption  
****July 20th, 2557**

Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's hoofed feet echoed through the chamber as he and his opponent circled each other. He depressed the activation mechanism on the hilt of his Type-1 Energy Sword, and with a _snap-hiss_, dual tines of blue-white plasma lanced out, forming a beautifully crafted, yet deadly blade.

His opponent, a human at seven feet tall, pulled out his own weapon, a modified Energy Sword with hilt guards. When he activated it, instead of the traditional blue-white color of most swords, a blade of gold plasma erupted from the hilt. He held it across his chest and stopped circling the Sangheili.

Thel suddenly surged forward, raised his sword, and brought it down in a diagonal slash. The man blocked the attack and pushed the sword to the side.

'Vadam used the momentum to spin and bring his sword around in a horizontal strike. His adversary ducked just in time and felt the heat of the plasma as the sword went through the empty space his head had occupied moments ago. While on the ground, the human swept his leg around in an attempt to make the Sangheili trip.

Thel jumped up before it could be done, however, and while in the air used his downward momentum to put some strength behind his sword as he raised it up over his head and brought it quickly down.

The man rolled out of the way as the sword stabbed the floor, the plasma melting through with ease. The human jumped to his feet, spread his legs in a defensive position, and held his gold sword diagonally across his chest.

The Arbiter pulled his sword out of the floor and charged his opponent. Once again, he raised his sword and brought it down in a vertical strike.

The man, however, was expecting the attack, for he raised his arm and caught Thel's sword between the tines of _his_ sword. With a simple arm movement and a twist of the wrist, he wrenched the sword out of the Sangheili's grasp, the sword deactivating in mid-air.

While using the Arbiter's distraction to his advantage, the man fell to floor and, with success, swept Thel off of his feet. As he fell, the human jumped up, caught the deactivated sword from the air, and reactivated it.

'Vadam managed to get to his knees, but stopped moving when he felt the heat of plasma on his neck. He looked up and saw that his enemy had crossed both swords and held it inches away from him.

Both man and Sangheili stared at each other, none of them moving a muscle. Then, the Arbiter started chuckling, and pressed his four mandibles together in a smile as he said, "Thus, the student has surpassed the master."

The man chuckled as well. "So it would seem," he said. He deactivated the swords, the plasma disappearing into both hilts. He gave Thel his sword back, and offered him a hand.

The Sangheili grasped it as he was helped up to his feet by the human. He stood up to his full height and said, "You wield the Sword of Sanghelios with honor and integrity. I am glad to call you a Raptor of my family, Ocelot."

"And I am glad to call you my brother, Thel. I hope one day both of our peoples will learn from the bond we share that humans and Sangheili can live together in peace. Though, unfortunately, there's still blood between us, and there are those who want revenge for what we did to each other. I only wish it weren't so," Ocelot replied sadly.

The Arbiter rested a four-fingered hand on Ocelot's left shoulder. "Were it so easy, brother."

Just then, the communicator in Thel's ear started buzzing. At the same time, Ocelot's wrist-mounted communicator beeped for attention.

Ocelot answered his first. "This is Raptor Ocelot 'Vadam and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam receiving."

A Sangheili on the other side said, "_Arbiter, Raptor, Shipmaster 'Vadum has requested your presences on the Shadow of Intent. He has found something that he believes you should __hear__ for yourselves._"

Thel shared a quizzical glance with Ocelot before replying, "Tell the Shipmaster that we are on our way. Have a Phantom rendezvous with us at the landing platform in the center of 'Vadam State."

"_By your word, Arbiter._"

As the Arbiter cut communications with the _Intent_, Ocelot asked, "What could Rtas have found that requires _both_ of us?"

"We shall find out soon enough, brother. Come, let us not keep our friend waiting."

"I have a Revenant parked out front. We can use that to get to the center," Ocelot said.

They walked outside to a parked Type-48 _Revenant_ Light Assault Gun Carriage, the red metal glowing in the Sangheili sunlight. Seeing limited action during the Great War, the Revenant had grown to be the main ground vehicle of choice for the Covenant Separatists (now known as the United Species Coalition), combining both speed and firepower. It bridged the gap between the Type-32 _Ghost_ Rapid Assault Vehicle and the Type-26 _Wraith_ Assault Gun Carriage. The Revenant allowed its driver to not only boost for longer periods of time but also have the firepower of a Wraith.

The Revenant had room for two occupants, which in this case was fine for both the man and the Sangheili. Ocelot got in the driver's seat while Thel sat on the passenger side. The human activated the vehicle, and the Revenant's anti-gravity generators kicked in, raising the vehicle a few feet off the ground. He then turned the vehicle around and sped off towards the City of Vadam.

During the ride, Thel thought back to the first time he met Ocelot, back when Vadam Keep was under attack.

**2 Years Earlier  
****Vadam Keep, Sanghelios, First Age of Redemption  
****November 7th, 2555**

The human was tasked by the UNSC, specifically Admiral Lord Terrance Hood, to defend the Arbiter from attacks by the Servants of Abiding Truth, led by Avu Med 'Telcam. When 'Vadam first saw him, in MJOLNIR Mk-VII Centurion armor, he initially thought he was a SPARTAN-II, one of the original Demons, the Master Chief's kind, by the way he was built. But when the Spartan took off his helmet, it was clear that he was not a SPARTAN-II. He was much too young, only eighteen years of age.

Thel then thought he was one of the new SPARTAN-IV's. When he started talking to the kid, he found out that he was neither a II nor a IV; he was a SPARTAN-III.

His name back then was not Ocelot, but Scott-G217, or Scott Shepard. Scott was born on Reach in 2538. When he was only six years old, his family was killed in an Insurrectionist attack while vacationing on Earth. He was brought to Onyx to train as a SPARTAN-III. He _was_ to be augmented with SPARTAN-III enhancement in 2546, but he had asked Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose to be implanted with _SPARTAN-II_ augmentations.

It was this part of the story that Thel became confused. Scott saw his confusion and told him what he had told Kurt, word for word:

"Sir, I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I'm smarter than most give me credit for. The UNSC trained the SPARTAN-II's to be the best of the best, Supersoldiers, humanity's next step. The Office of Naval Intelligence created us to be cheap, inexpensive, expendable. They send us on suicide missions, knowing that most of us will not survive, while _they_ accelerate their own agendas. Before my family was killed, my dad said this to me: 'Son, never trust anyone that will not trust you. They will use you, deceive you, and manipulate you to accelerate their plans. That is what the Office of Naval Intelligence is filled with, son, manipulative, deceitful, useless people, with only one goal in their minds: their own agendas. Do not let ONI make you a pawn, son. But most of all, _do not trust them_.' The reason I want to be like the SPARTAN-II's is because, if I get SPARTAN-III enhancements, I will dishonor my father and throw away the lesson he taught me. Sir, I will fight for humanity's survival, but I will never become a pawn. Not now, not ever."

It was here that he paused when he saw that every Sangheili in the room listening to the story, including Thel, was staring at him, with both respect and approval present in their eyes. They, too, had known what it was like to be pawns. The Old Covenant, led by the Prophets, had used, deceived, and manipulated them to set forth their own plans: the mass extinction of the Reclaimers, the humans, the descendents of the Forerunners. The Prophets had also set forth a plan to kill the Sangheili, and replace them with the Jiralhanae.

One of the younglings that was there asked him what happened next, as did nearly every Sangheili in the room, excluding Thel. Scott then resumed his story, saying that after secretly receiving the SPARTAN-II enhancements, he had continued to train on Onyx with the rest of Gamma Company between 2546 and 2552, quickly rising to the rank of lieutenant by 2551. During that time, he every so often deployed to Earth to track down Insurrectionists and prevent further attacks. Then, a few weeks after the Fall of Reach, the majority of Gamma Company was deployed, by ONI, on secret missions to who knows where, while he alone was recalled to Earth. While on Earth, he was promoted to the rank of commander by Admiral Hood himself after preventing the assassination of the President of the United Earth Government in Washington, D.C. When he had caught up with the Insurrectionist responsible, he made an astonishing discovery.

It was the same man, the same Insurrectionist, that murdered his family just nine years ago. He remembered the face, the cold look he had, when he watched him and his team gun down innocent civilians. His family was eating at a restaurant when the attack occurred. His father, being a former Marine sergeant, and his mother, a former Army captain, told Scott to hide. From his hiding spot, he saw them pull out both an M6G _Magnum_ Personal Defense Weapon System and an M6J/C Carbine and open fire on the Insurrectionists. From their positions behind an overturned table, they were able to take down six of the attackers. At first, they had thought they had won; that is, until _he_ attacked. Scott's father was the first to go. A shot rang out, and a bullet impacted the middle of his forehead, which continued out through the back of his head, spraying blood, bone, and brain matter. His mother turned her head and watched her husband's head snap back, his whole body going limp and falling backwards onto the floor. As she turned her head back towards where the shot had come from, another one rang out and blew off her right hand. She screamed and clutched her wrist. Then the man, the seventh Insurrectionist came into view, a smoking M6G in his hand. He looked down at the hand-less mother, holstered his Magnum, pulled out a combat knife, stabbed her through the side of her neck, and viciously ripped the knife out through the jugular, severing the windpipe. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the mother expired in seconds, her body pitching forward and landing face-first in a puddle of her own blood. The man wiped the blood off his knife, sheathed it, and walked away, leaving a very distraught Scott to cry silently in his hiding spot.

After nine years, he had finally caught up with him. He wanted to end him right then and there, to take revenge for the pain he caused him. But he didn't. He had realized that it was not what his father or his mother would have wanted. Instead, he arrested the man and brought him to justice.

After the events in Washington, he _was_ to be deployed to Moscow to investigate a possible Insurrectionist hideout. But before he could, the Covenant arrived and started attacking the planet. He wasn't present at the Battle of New Mombassa, though. After the Slipspace Event nearly destroyed the city, more Covenant ships started appearing over almost every major city on Earth.

Scott was sent to Sydney to investigate an erected Covenant base. While investigating the base, he intercepted a transmission between the Prophet of Truth and Jiralhanae War Chieftain Silenius. It was here that he had learned of the Great Schism, how the Sangheili had split from the Covenant and sided with humanity. After leaving the base, he informed Admiral Hood about what he had learned, and ordered for orbital support to destroy the base. By then, the Master Chief had returned to Earth and was in the process of clearing out the Covenant in the city of Voi in East Africa, fighting alongside the Arbiter. Scott went with Hood on the _Charon_-class Light Frigate _UNSC Forward Unto Dawn_ to initiate a low-level strike on Truth's Forerunner Keyship.

But the attack had soured, as Truth activated a portal and disappeared into it with the rest of his Fleet. At the same time, a Flood-infested _CCS_-class Battlecruiser slipped in and crashed into the city. Scott was sent with a squad of Marines to contain the Flood on one side of the city, while both the Master Chief and Thel proceeded to the crash site. As he helped clear out the Flood, the Fleet of Retribution, led by Supreme Commander Rtas 'Vadum, emerged out of slipspace over the city and deployed several Sangheili to deal with the Parasite. After meeting Special Operations N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham, they continued to fight off the Flood until both Rtas and Hood ordered everyone to evacuate the city. While the squad of Marines returned to the _Charon_-class Light Frigate _UNSC Aegis Fate_, Scott left with the Spec Ops Sangheili, and followed the _Dawn_ and the Fleet of Retribution aboard the Battlecruiser _Pious Inquisitor_ through the portal.

After arriving at Installation 00, while the Master Chief had gone to the surface to clear out a landing zone for the _Dawn_, Scott had deployed with N'tho, Usze, and a platoon of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers to secure Truth's Forerunner Keyship and to gain information from the ship's databanks. There, they had found that humanity, the Reclaimers, were the true descendants of the Forerunners, left behind so that they could fulfill the duty as the Protectors of the Galaxy, while the Forerunners themselves sacrificed their lives to stop the ancient Flood onslaught. By the time they received this information, Commander Miranda Keyes, along with Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, the Arbiter, and the Master Chief, had tracked down Truth's location: a Citadel, the Ark's Control Center for the entire Halo Array. However, as soon the _Intent_ had readied her weapons and targeted the Citadel, the Flood-infested Covenant Holy City, _High Charity_, exited Slipspace and crashed onto the Ark's surface, not only damaging the Ark itself, but also disabling the _Intent_'s weapons systems with Flood Dispersal Pods.

While both the Master Chief and Thel continued towards the Ark's Control Center, Scott, N'tho, Usze, and the ODSTs had ensured that neither the Parasite nor what was left of the Covenant would get possession of the Keyship by planting and detonating a Shiva nuclear warhead. After returning to the Fleet, this time aboard the _Intent_, they had been updated on what had happened at the Citadel: the Prophet of Truth was dead—as was Commander Keyes. The _Dawn_'s personnel had boarded the _Intent_ while Thel, the Master Chief, and a recently reclaimed Cortana landed the Frigate on the surface of a newly constructed Halo, Installation 04B. Their plan was to fire the ring and eradicate the Flood. With the rest of the humans and Sangheili on board, the _Intent_ and her fleet went through the portal and headed towards Earth. Scott had then gone to the surface to speak in front of both the President and the United Nations Security Council.

As he was explaining the situation to them, the _Dawn_ had exited the portal and slammed into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When rescue crews had scoured the wreck, they had learned two things. One: The portal had collapsed, shearing the ship in half, which meant that only the front half of the ship had made through, leaving the back half either destroyed or floating off in distant space somewhere. And two: the Arbiter was in the front half; the Master Chief and Cortana had been in the back half.

The loss of the Master Chief had been a significant blow to morale. But the plan had worked. When Halo fired, the Flood were extinguished in the wave of energy that had been produced. However, because the Installation was incomplete, the buildup of energy and the sudden release of it caused the ring to tear itself apart, significantly damaging the Ark, and causing the portal to collapse.

On March 3rd, 2553, after a few months had passed, both Scott and Thel had attended the Memorial service in Voi, where Lord Hood had given a short speech in dedication to those that died in the Great War. It was these words that Scott would never forget:

"_For us, the storm has passed, the war is over. But let us not forget those who ventured into the howling dark, and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, sacrifice, an unshakeable conviction that their fight, _our_ fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."_

After the Arbiter had returned to Sanghelios, Scott had continued to serve the UNSC on Earth and, eventually, the experimental _Infinity_-class Ultra-Heavy Dreadnaught Carrier _UNSC Infinity_, training new recruits alongside both Commander Sarah Palmer and Leiutenant Commander Fred-104 in the new SPARTAN-IV program. He did this until November of 2555, when Lord Hood sent him and the _Charon_-class Light Frigate _UNSC __Greely_ to Sanghelios to help defend the Vadam Keep.

When he finished his story, one of the Sangheili asked him, "Why are there not more of you helping us? Why are you the only Demon here?"

It was at this point where Scott surprised them all by saying, "Because, originally, only the _Greely_ was sent here to provide you with orbital support. The only reason why I am the only Spartan here is because I _asked_ to be here.

"Look, unlike most of Humanity, I forgive you for what you did to my kind. You had no way of knowing that the Prophets were lying to you, using you for their own gains. Also, I had not killed, injured, or even encountered your kind until your Fleet of Retribution appeared over Earth. Sure, I've encountered the Covenant before, but only during the Battle of Earth and the Battle of the Ark. Up until that point in time, I've been battling only the Insurrectionists, as well as tracking down the man that murdered my family.

"We're allies now. There's no reason for me to hold a grudge against you. Besides, my mother always said to me, 'If you see a friend in need, don't turn your back on them; always help them in every way you can.' I see friends in need of help right now. The only difference between me and the rest of Humanity is that I will _always_ help, no matter the cost. I may fight for Humanity, but I will also fight for you."

This left every Sangheili in the room, including Thel, utterly speechless. _This human was willing to not only forgive us, but also fight for us?_

Thel's respect for the Spartan grew exponentially. He looked around the room and saw that the same was present in the eyes of every Sangheili there. He pressed his mandibles together in a smile as he turned his head back to the human, who was looking out a window. He then saw Scott's eyes widen in horror. Thel was about to ask what was wrong when the Spartan sprinted towards him, yelling "GET DOWN!" before tackling Thel to the ground. A split-second later, the massive doors leading out to the grounds exploded inwards.

After they both got up, they saw a Type-47 _Scarab_ Ultra-Heavy Assault Platform on the grounds, its Assault Cannon still smoking from beam of green plasma it had fired. There was also heavy fighting between USC ground forces and the Servants of Abiding Truth, plasma filling the air. "Get the younglings to safety!" Thel ordered, grabbing the Type-51 Carbine from his back while Scott unholstered his BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle. The Spartan fired a three-round burst, the bullets punching through the weak shields of a Sangheili Storm, catching him in the head. The Sangheili fell backwards, twitched once, and died.

The Scarab fired again. Both Thel and Scott dived out of the way as the green plasma beam passed through the space they had just occupied, melting a hole in the stone wall behind them.

The Spartan put his helmet back on and continued to fire at the approaching Servants. He keyed on his comm and yelled, "Commander G217 to UNSC _Greely_! Vadam Keep is under attack by 'Telcam's Servants! We got a Scarab on the grounds just pummeling us! I need orbital support to take out that Scarab!"

"_Roger that, Commander. __Weapons, get me a targeting solution for that Scarab and fire at will!_"

Already, Thel could see that the Servants were being pushed back. 'Telcam's forces were now down to about two dozen. Thel was pleased with this result, but the feeling soon faded as the Scarab started charging up the Assault Cannon. He instantly dove to cover on the left side of the entrance, anticipating the beam.

Unfortunately, the mobile platform had tracked his movement. The Scarab pivoted its Assault Cannon and fired at Thel's cover—just before a 600-ton ferric-tungsten projectile, fired from the orbiting _UNSC_ _Greely_'s Mark II Light Coil-83B6R3 Magnetic Accelerated Cannon at a speed of 30,000 meters per second, slammed into the massive walker with 64 kilotons of kinetic energy, almost vaporizing the back half of the Scarab.

The plasma beam, however, slammed into the Arbiter's cover. Thel's energy shield overloaded as the wall exploded, blowing him back as he was pelted with rubble.

Scott, after running out of ammunition for his Battle Rifle, saw the Arbiter on his side and rushed to see if he was injured. Thel's vision started to blur as the Spartan checked for wounds, but the commander stopped as he turned around and saw a Sangheili Field Master standing there, with an ignited Energy Sword in his hand.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," growled Avu Med 'Telcam. "Your judgment has waited long enough, Arbiter. Your heresy will stay your feet, and not even your _pets_ will save you."

Thel saw the Spartan pick up his fallen Energy Sword and ignite it. The Arbiter heard Scott say, "If you want him, you're gonna have to go through _me_," before the darkness of unconsciousness overwhelmed him.

When the Arbiter regained consciousness, he saw 'Telcam on his knees with an Energy Sword through his chest. 'Telcam looked up at the helmetless Spartan in horror as he yanked it out and swung the blade horizontally. The head of the now _former_ leader of the Servants of Abiding Truth fell from his body and rolled around on the floor. The rest of the body fell forward and landed with a thump.

After staring at the body for quite some time, Scott turned around and saw that Thel was trying to rise to his feet. The commander walked up to him, grabbed an arm, and helped him up.

"Are you injured?" Scott asked concerned.

"I am well, Commander," Thel said, taking back the Energy Sword the Spartan had handed to him. He turned his head and saw that Scott had a scar running from the bottom left of his chin up to the top of his left eyebrow. "You, however, are not."

Scott lifted his gauntlet-ed hand and gritted his teeth in pain as he touched the cauterized wound. "It's just a scar, nothing more. I'm just fortunate I didn't lose an eye in that battle." He paused for a second before adding, "I'm also fortunate that I didn't lose you."

Thel turned to look at him again, this time with surprise etched on his face. "Why?"

"Like I said before, we're allies. And as far as I'm concerned, we're also friends. I've already lost so much people that I cared about to both the Covenant and the Insurrectionists. My friends...my family. I lost everyone. I'd hate to lose another," Scott said.

There was a long moment of silence as the Arbiter stared at the Spartan. Thel then broke the silence by saying, "Kneel, Spartan."

Scott looked at him quizzically but nonetheless complied. As he knelt, Thel activated his sword and held it out in front of him. This time it was his turn to surprise the Spartan as he said:

"You have greatness, courage, and integrity, Spartan. Attributes of a true warrior. You fight with honor, for your people as well as mine. You saw a fellow warrior in need, and stood against his enemies. You saved my life, and for that, I am grateful.

"Trust comes to those who have earned it. As such, I bestow upon you the greatest amount of trust ever received by either Sangheili or human. In Sangheili culture, the rank of Raptor means 'Honorary Member', and is only bestowed upon those who have earned it."

Thel brought his Energy Sword down, the blade almost touching Scott's armored left shoulder before bringing the blade up and over the Spartan's head, and repeated the process again. "Rise, Spartan," Thel said, "as Ocelot 'Vadam, Raptor of the Vadam Family."

Ocelot rose to his feet and looked at Thel with both respect and gratitude before saying, "Thank you, Arbiter."

Thel chuckled and said, "We are now brothers, Ocelot. You may call me Thel. You have earned the right to."

The Arbiter raised a closed fist across his chest and bowed his head. Ocelot returned the gesture and said, "In that case, thank you, Thel."

**City of 'Vadam, Sanghelios, First Age of Redemption  
****Present Day**

Thel grinned as he remembered the day Ocelot became part of his family. The young Spartan, just a month after the attack on the Vadam Keep, had returned to Sanghelios, saying that he had left the UNSC to start a new life outside of the military. Thel had then presented him with a gift, a modified Energy Sword with hilt guards.

Unlike the traditional blue-white plasma of most Energy Swords, this one had a gold tinge to it, giving the blade a more graceful yet deadly look. It was called the Sword of Sanghelios, and Thel had told Ocelot that only those worthy of the blade would receive it.

Since then, Ocelot has lived with the Vadam Family for two years, studying under the Arbiter's teachings. It was only when Ocelot had disarmed Thel during the sparring session they had earlier that he had completed his training.

Over the course of the next two years, the rest of Sanghelios started seeing the young Spartan as an equal. Eventually, he was given the title "Raptor of Sanghelios", a sign of respect that said he was now an Honorary Sangheili. Thel was glad he could call Ocelot a brother.

As they neared the landing platform, Thel could already see a green Type-52 _Phantom_ Troop Carrier waiting for them. As Ocelot powered down the Revenant, the Arbiter couldn't help but wonder: _What has Rtas found that requires the Spartan's presence?_

**CAS-class Assault Carrier _Shadow of Intent_, Fleet of Retribution, Orbiting Sanghelios, First Age of Redemption**

My armored feet hit the deck of the massive landing bay as me and Thel landed at the bottom of the Phantom's gravity lift.

"It's great to be back on the _Intent_," I said. "I think the last time I had been on the Carrier was during my visit to Venezia."

Thel grunted. "It has been a long while for me as well, Ocelot," he agreed as he walked towards the two Spec Ops Sangheili that were approaching us.

As I followed, I took a moment to glance around the bay. Recently, the carrier, as well every other ship under Thel's command, had undergone a massive repaint. It was a symbolic gesture to bury the legacy of the Old Covenant as well as to bridge the gap of distrust between the UEG and USC. It was a small gesture, but to me and Thel, it was a gesture that spoke volumes. Now, all of the Assault Carriers, including the _Intent_, were colored blue and black, Battlecruisers were painted green, and the 28-kilometer-long _CSO_-class Supercarrier _Glorious Salvation_ was as black as midnight.

The hanger was filled with vehicles, ranging from red-colored Revenants to Separatist green-colored Type-31 _Seraph_ Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighters. Multiple Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Mgalekgolo were milling about, either working on vehicles or conversing with one another.

Oddly enough (_well, not to odd me of course_), in stark contrast to the alien vehicles, there was a human vehicle in the middle of the hanger, with one Huragok working on the ship. I smiled as I gazed upon it.

Two months after moving in with the 'Vadam Family, I had traveled with Rtas 'Vadum on board the _Intent_ to the semi-independent planet of Venezia, to investigate rumors of a Kig-Yar black markets dealer acquiring a Battlecruiser. Upon arrival, both of us had gone to down to the planet to talk with the Kig-Yar in question, a Skirmisher by the name of Sav Fel. But, it would all be for naught, as Fel had told us that it had been destroyed three years earlier when a Kig-Yar Shipmistress tried to take control of it.

Saddened by the loss of the _Pious Inquisitor_, Rtas had turned to leave, only to be stopped by Fel, saying he had a proposition for us. 'Vadum, not trusting the Kig-Yar, left anyway; however, curiosity had gotten the better of me, so I had told my friend that I would meet him back on the carrier. Wondering what he had for us, Sav led me to a secluded hanger on the outskirts of town, where I was surprised to learn that the Kig-Yar had acquired a Huragok. He tried to sell him to me, but I had said that the only way I would buy it is if Fel threw in a ship of my choice for free.

The Kig-Yar had reluctantly agreed and, after receiving the credits, let me browse through the many ships stored in the hanger. It was only after a few minutes had passed when I saw an AC-120 VTOL Strike Fighter, known to the UNSC as the Falcon.

During the early years of the Human-Covenant War, the Falcon was a twin-seater fighter aircraft used by the UNSC Army, the main gunship of choice until it was replaced by the AC-220 _Vulture_ Gunship in 2531. It filled the role as a strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with Sidewinder missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. The aircraft used forward-swept wings to provide stability during deep dives. Another, smaller set of wing flaps attached to the ventral hull helped to improve stability. It also possessed two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. Located at the rear of the craft were twin jet thrusters which were capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability, with retractable landing gear located at the wing tips.

All in all, the Falcon was a good aircraft, even after seeing little action in the Great War. That's what I thought when I had returned to the Assault Carrier with both the Falcon and the Huragok in tow. I remembered, and had _almost_ laughed at, the look that was etched on 'Vadum's face when he first laid eyes on the alien.

After acquiring the little guy, Heavier Than Most, I had set the Huragok to work on retrofitting the Falcon with Covenant technology. The strike fighter was upgraded with shielding, which was as strong as a Seraph's, and engines, which allowed it to operate either in atmosphere or out of it; the landing gear was replaced with anti-gravity generators while the projectile weapons and Sidewinder missiles were replaced with plasma guns and plasma torpedoes; and the twin-seater cockpit was converted into a one-seater. The aircraft was also outfitted with active camouflage, allowing the fighter to operate in missions that required stealth.

Because the fighter was outfitted with stealth technology, I had taken to calling the retrofitted aircraft the UH-60 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Stealth Fighter, otherwise known as the Nightstalker.

Now the Nightstalker was here in the _Intent_'s massive hanger, with its appointed caretaker constantly calibrating the craft's engines, weapons, and shielding. I had thought about going over and talking to Heavier Than Most, or Heavy as I called him.

But it would have to wait until later, as me and Thel approached the two Spec Ops Sangheili, N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham.

N'tho was the first to speak. "Arbiter, Raptor, the Shipmaster has requested your presences on the bridge."

The Arbiter, after sharing a glance with me, said, "Very well. Come, Ocelot. Let us see what our friend has discovered."

"Lead the way, Brother," I replied.

I let Thel take the lead while I hung back to talk with N'tho and Usze. Ever since I came to live on Sanghelios, they had become two of my most trusted friends. Both of them were part of a team I had created earlier this year, after I had convinced my brother to let me form one. I called my team OMEGA, as a tribute to NOBLE Team, a squad that gave their lives during the final months of the Great War. So far, there were five members of OMEGA: I was the commander, Usze was our scout, N'tho was the team's weapons specialist, Heavy was both our mechanic and our medic, and an Unggoy by the name of Jayak played role of explosives expert. We were the first interspecies squad to serve under the USC, and I was proud to be a part of it.

Turning to N'tho, I noticed that he had a peculiar weapon. To me, it looked like a cross between a Type-55 Storm Rifle, a Type-51 Carbine, and a Type-31 Needle Rifle. I stated as much, saying, "I see you have a new weapon. Mind if I ask what it is?"

"Not at all, Raptor," N'tho replied. He took the weapon off of his back and held it in front of him.

"This is the Type-32 Close-Quarters Combat Munitions Launcher, an efficient and devastating weapon. Effective at close range, the Type-32, otherwise known as the Needleshot, is deadly to those caught in its wake. This is the first weapon the Sroam Armory has been able to mass produce after studying the weapon you humans call a shotgun," he explained.

I nodded in understanding. "So, it's more like the Sangheili version of a shotgun, but instead of firing shells or slugs, it fires Needler rounds?"

"Correct," the weapons specialist said. "The Needleshot fires seven crystals per round, and carries twelve rounds per magazine. As I said before, the weapon is deadly at close range; however, it is also effective at medium range, although it will take two blasts from the weapon to bring an opponent down. But, with those two blasts, a supercombine explosion will occur, as it will take fourteen crystals to achieve."

Usze decided to take part in our conversation and asked, "How is the weapon reloaded?"

"Much the same way as a Carbine." N'tho then demonstrated by opening the top of the weapon and pulling the cylindrical magazine out. When he did that, the needles sticking out the top front of the Needleshot disappeared into the weapon through their respective slots. Only when the Sangheili weapons specialist placed the cylinder back and closed the top did the needles pop back out.

I was fascinated with the Needleshot, but I was also a little skeptical about the effectiveness of the weapon. "Are there any weaknesses that I should know about?"

N'tho looked at me for a moment before replying, "Well, I would not advise using this against heavily shielded opponents, if that is what you are inferring."

I nodded before saying, "So, strong against unshielded and weak-shielded opponents, deadly and effective at close range, and adequate at medium range, but not good to use against heavily shielded enemies. If I _do_ happen to go up against an opponent with heavy shields, such as an Mgalekgolo, that would require me to do some maneuvering around them and shooting them in the back, and I don't plan on dancing with them anytime soon."

We laughed at the joke, although I could have sworn I heard Thel chuckling along with us.

But, the laughter was cut short as we reached the doors to the bridge. As we entered, I could see that Rtas 'Vadum was already at the doors waiting for us.

"It has been a while, Arbiter," the Shipmaster said, crossing a fist over his chest and bowing his head slightly, greeting us with what I called the Sangheili Salute.

We returned the gesture. "That it has, old friend. What have you discovered that requires our immediate attention?" asked Thel.

Rtas merely turned and led us up to a raised circular platform, where a hologram was projecting a massive image in the middle. The image was that of the most powerful weapon of the Milky Way Galaxy: Halo, a ringworld superstructure that, combined with six others that make up the Halo Array, can wipe out every sentient being in the galaxy. This particular ring was one that I recognized.

"Installation 03?" I asked.

"Indeed," Rtas confirmed. He then brought up another hologram, this one depicting the nearly-six-kilometer-long _UNSC_ _Infinity._ "During an excavation project on the surface of the ring, the _Infinity_ was called upon to investigate an energy surge near the dig site. When a search team arrived at the Forerunner artifact in question, of all that was left of the science team in charge of the project, they found this."

The two holograms disappeared and was replaced by another. This one displayed sensor data, with multiple Forerunner glyphs surrounding a much larger symbol.

"How did you acquire this information?" asked Thel.

Rtas turned to the Arbiter and looked at him for a moment before saying, "The data was sent to us by a member of the science team, before their disappearance. I then sent the information to Lord Hood, who said that he would investigate it." He paused for a moment before adding, "The one who sent us this data was the Scholar, Professor Evan Phillips."

I was so busy staring at the image, I only just managed to catch the last sentence. While I didn't know Phillips personally, I knew _of_ him. The man was a Sangheili linguist, sort of an expert on Sangheili culture, and could amaze almost every Sangheili with his skill to solve _arums_. He was even invited to Sanghelios by Thel himself to study some of the Forerunner ruins there.

After a long moment of looking at the hologram, I finally said, "I'm not a scientist, and I certainly may not know as much about Forerunner technology as they do, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that this sensor data is a way of how to decipher Forerunner glyphs."

"That is what Lord Hood thought as well, Raptor. And when the _Infinity_ managed to decrypt the data, as did we, both of us found a set of coordinates, leading to an undiscovered system. The ship is on its way there now."

Thel and I glanced at each other, knowing what that meant. The coordinates either led to another Shield World, like Trevelyan, or it was the location of another Halo.

Our thoughts were interrupted by Rtas as he said, "But that is not all we found. While studying the data, we picked up a distress beacon originating from those coordinates." Turning, he nodded to a Sangheili Zealot, who then played the transmission:

"_Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is _UNSC FFG-201 Forward Unto Dawn_ requesting immediate evac. __Survivors aboard. Prioritization code:_ Victor Zero Five dash Three dash Sierra Zero One One Seven."

Complete and utter silence filled the bridge of the carrier. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Now I know why Rtas wanted me here. The Master Chief, the Demon of the Covenant, and essentially my idol, was alive.

Immediately, my mind went into overdrive as I considered the situation. If the Chief was still alive, that meant he could be in danger. It was a good thing that the _Infinity_ intercepted the distress beacon when they did, as they were on their way to recover him.

But I knew that would also mean he would come in direct contact with Andrew Del Rio, the _Infinity_'s captain. I growled internally as I remembered the name. Given what I knew about the man personally, I highly doubted that the Chief would receive a warm welcome. Even though the captain was not the main reason why I left the UNSC, I will admit that he was part of the reason. After about a minute of thinking, I finally came to a decision:

"How long will it take to get the ship ready?"

Everyone looked at me in bewilderment.

"Perhaps you misunderstand, Raptor," a Sangheili Major said. "The Humans are sending their most powerful warship to retrieve their most powerful warrior. I am sure the_y_ will not encounter any problems in rescuing the Demon."

"I'm not doubting the _Infinity_'s ability to hold her own in a battle," I replied. "I am, however, questioning Del Rio's ability to handle this situation."

"You consider this captain to be untrustworthy?" Usze asked.

"More than you know, Usze. While I was on board the _Infinity_, even though he was comfortable with having the SPARTAN-IV's on board, Del Rio had very negative opinions about SPARTAN-II's and SPARTAN-III's, specifically me and the Master Chief. He thought of us as 'failed experiments'. Plus, he fails to see a bigger picture of any type of situation. I doubt the Chief will receive a warm welcome.

"Perhaps our presences will help ease the tension. Also, if the Chief is in danger, then he's going to need all the help he can get, not just the _Infinity_. The choice is up to you, but I strongly recommend that we help."

Rtas looked at Thel as they both considered my words. After receiving a nod from the Arbiter, he turned to the Sangheili Zealot and said, "Send the coordinates to all ships in the Fleet. Have them prepared to jump on my command. Send word to the Supercarrier _Glorious Salvation_ to remain here and guard Sanghelios in our absense."

"By your word, Shipmaster."

As Rtas continued to relay orders, Thel looked to me and asked, "How do you know if the Master Chief is in danger?"

I sighed. "In truth, Thel, I don't. I just have this uneasy feeling that whatever is out, it's going to give us a hard time. This won't be easy."

'Vadam nodded in agreement. "I trust your judgement, Ocelot. But for all our sakes, I hope you know what you are doing."

"As do I, Brother."

"All ships are reporting in, Shipmaster," the Zealot said. "The _Glorious Salvation_ has been informed and is now taking over our previous assignment. The Fleet is prepared and awaiting your command."

"Very good." Rtas then keyed on the Fleetwide communications and ordered, "All ships, engage Slipspace jump."

Out in space, five green-colored _CCS_-class Battlecruisers formed up around the blue-and-black-colored _CAS_-class Assault Carrier _Shadow of Intent_. At the same time, six blue-and-black Slipspace portals appeared in front of the ships. The Fleet of Retribution accelerated and disappeared into the voids, the portals closing and disappearing behind them.

_Once more unto the breach_, I thought.

I heard Usze behind me say, "I have suspicion that this will not be an easy mission."

I turned to him and smiled. "It wouldn't be an OMEGA mission if it was."

_**AN: In order to get a clear sense of what the **_**Shadow of Intent _looks like, look up _Sins of the Prophets _(a Halo mod for _Sins of a Solar Empire_) on Google Images. In the mod, it's a Supercarrier; in my story, it's an Assault Carrier._**

**_I know some people will be upset that Ahsoka was not included in this update, but I had to introduce the Separatist Sangheili as well as my OC. Both will play important roles in my story, especially since my OC will be the main character alongside Ahsoka. I did say ROAJ was slightly AU for a reason._**

**_Also, since my OC is the only SPARTAN-III to receive SPARTAN-II enhancements, that makes him the only SPARTAN-III to receive the MJOLNIR Mk. VII Power Armor. As to what it looks like, it's the same armor that appears at the end of the Halo 2 Anniversary/Halo 5: Guardians trailer. if you hadn't noticed in the chapter already, I'm calling it the Centurion armor._**

_**Don't forget to review! Points to anyone who found the tribute to UH-60 NIGHTSTALKER, the Dead Space 3 easter egg, and the YouTube webseries Rise of the Spartans easter eggs.**_

_**Next Update: Ahsoka arrives in unknown space, and a certain supersoldier awakens from a long deserved rest.**_


	3. Dawn

_**Okay, let me just apologize for the late update. I had to change a lot of stuff in this chapter to get it to where I want it. In other words, a lot of proof-reading and editing. I was also gone for RTX 2014 (BTW, it was amazing), so that really put a damper on my work. Now that I'm back, I can keep working on the Tri-Verse Saga. However, updates are going to be hectic since I have to start looking for a job. So, no promises on the next chapter coming out any time soon.**_

_**You may have noticed that the cover for my story has changed. The artwork is, by any means, not mine. That credit belongs to randomy, one of my followers and (apparently) an Ahsoka lover. Thank you, randomy, for following my story. As such, I dedicate this next chapter to you and to every Ahsoka lover out there.**_

_**Now, without further ado, here's Chapter 3: Dawn.**_

_**Disclaimer is in the first chapter.**_

* * *

Chapter 3: Dawn

**Unknown Location, 21 BBY**

Voices echoed in her head.

_I believe that trust is overrated, and have come to see the Jedi as an order of violence!_

Barriss, her lifelong friend, who betrayed her and framed her for a crime she didn't commit.

_If their's one thing we clones know how to do, it's kill a Jedi._

Fives, a clone in Rex's squad, who almost killed her after being infected by the Mind Worm.

These voices she recognized. The others, however, she didn't.

A dark presence entered her mind.

_You persist too long after your own defeat...come then, warrior, have your resolution._

That voice. That demonic voice. It reaked of the Dark Side.

_We are the Storm, and we will destroy all in our path towards transcendence!_

Another voice. It was not as toxic as the other, but it was nonethelss dangerous. Both started speaking, one after the other.

_Time was your ally...but now it has abandoned you._

_I will rise, and you will fall!_

_This tomb is now yours._

A new presence entered, one more clear than the others. A vision appeared. A man in a brown cloak, a red lightsaber in hand. A Sith.

The vision played out. Countless Jedi were being killed by the Sith. Most were cut down. One currently being electrocuted. The Sith bathed the lone Jedi in lightning, cackling all the while.

The vision started to blur. The Dark Side was overwhelming her. She couldn't breath. The Sith appeared again and screamed:

_UNLIMITED POWER!_

Ahsoka's eyes snapped open as she regained consciousness. She was breathing heavily as the voices continued to echo in her head. Slowly, she steadied her breathing, getting her bearings.

_It was just a nightmare, a vision,_ she thought. _But it looked real. It sounded real. It felt real._

Her mind was still spinning as she gazed at her surroundings. From what she could tell, she was still inside her starfighter; nothing seemed to be wrong with anything. In fact, the Delta-7B was still active.

She wondered what had happened, but then, the memories came flooding back to her: the battle between the Separatists and the Republic near Hoth, the death of R6, the destruction of the asteroid, the activation of the sphere, and the appearance of the strange black hole, with her being pulled into it.

She felt a pang of guilt and sadness as she thought about her friend, his head tumbling through space after a turbolaser shot blasted it off. Sadness that he was dead, and guilt that she had brought him with her.

Her mind went back to the black hole. She then realized she was no longer in the Hoth system. She could see a sun, but she didn't know where she was.

As Ahsoka tried to figure out what system she was in, the starfighter's comm system started pinging. As she keyed it on, a message played out in clear Basic:

"_Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is _UNSC FFG-201 Forward Unto Dawn _requesting immediate evac. Survivors aboard. Prioritization code:_ Victor Zero Five dash Three dash Sierra Zero One One Seven_."_

Ahsoka was confused. _First of all,_ she thought, _what is this _UNSC_? And second, why hasn't the Republic heard about them? In fact, where did that black hole send me?_

She isolated the distress signal (which was no easy task since she didn't have R6 anymore) and found it was coming from one of the planets in the unknown system. There were no planets that she could see out her viewport, so she angled her craft downwards to get a better look. What she saw made her eyes widen in astonishment.

She had found the planet in question, which was a large metal sphere that was about the size of Coruscant. Multiple symbols covered the surface, symbols that she had not seen before. What caught her attention, though, was a fleet of unkown ships in orbit around the planet.

Most were as large as the _Venator_-class Star Destroyers, but that was where the similarities ended. They had a bulbous look to them, with four fins under the bow and two engines in the stern. They were also colored purple. There were other ships that looked exactly like them, albiet much smaller. What shocked her the most, however, was the monstrocity in the middle of the fleet.

The ship was larger than any other ship she had seen in her entire life; in fact, it was even larger than a _Subjugator_-class Heavy Cruiser. With its hook-like bow and and its three massive engines, it was quite a sight to behold. And like the other ships it was also colored purple.

They all looked graceful in a way, but the former Jedi knew that looks can be deceiving. There was no doubt in her mind that these ships were built for one thing and one thing only: war.

Suddenly, more of those black holes she had encountered appeared, this time behind the fleet. At first, she thought that the ships would be pulled in, just as what had happened to her. Instead, more of the smaller finned ships emerged from them, with the black holes collapsing behind them.

_Those weren't black holes_, she realized with a start. _Those were portals!_

As the new arrivals took positions within the fleet, Ahsoka kept asking herself the same question over and over again in her mind: _Just who exactly are they?_

* * *

_**CAS**_**-class Assault Carrier ****_Song of Retribution_, Orbit of Requiem, First Age of Redemption  
July 21st, 2557**

Jul 'Mdama studied the tiny craft with a trained eye. Not long ago, the _Retribution_ had detected an unknown energy signature coming from the outer orbit of Requiem. They had not found the source, but they did find the unknown craft in the signature's last location.

His first thought was that the craft was Human, but it did not match anything that the Humans had. The craft was much more angular, with little to no visible weapons. It also looked like it had been damaged recently, as there was an exposed part of the fighter with sparking wires.

Jul inwardly sighed. For three years, they had tried to find a way inside Requiem. For three years, they had hid here from both the Humans and the Arbiter, sending only a hand full of what ships they had at their disposal to raid colonies and to hunt down more Forerunner relics. And just within a few minutes, they had been discovered by an unknown craft of some unknown species.

That was the bad news. The good news was that, while unfortunate the craft had found them, it was damaged, which meant that they may be able to get any information they can about this new species.

But before he could issue an order to have the craft brought to the fleet, the Sangheili Commander behind him said, "Shipmaster 'Mdama, the raiding parties have returned! They bring supplies and news of a Human ship!"

That got Jul's attention as he turned around and looked at the Commander in surprised anger. "Human? Did it follow?"

"No. Different approach vector."

His anger rose as he commanded, "Launch boarding parties! Keep the Humans away from Requiem!"

"By your order, Shipmaster. What shall we do about the craft?"

Jul gazed back at the image of the craft. As much as he wanted to get any and all imformation out of it, he couldn't risk it, not with the Humans here. Reluctantly, he issued one command:

"Send some fighters and destroy it."

* * *

_**Charon**_**-class Light Frigate ****_UNSC Forward Unto Dawn_, Cryo Bay**

As multiple items continued to float aimlessly around in zero-gee, Cortana appeared sitting on the holographic projector, letting out a small gasp as she did. When the severed Frigate had started rumbling, she knew something was wrong. She was distressed enough already, but the rumbling was starting to worry her.

She slowly stood up, and after gazing around the room for a few seconds, she brought a holo-terminal. She quickly browsed through a status report as the ship continued to shake:

_SHIP STATUS: CATASTROPHIC LOSS, ALL DECKS  
SYSTEM STATUS: 6% SHIP SYSTEMS ONLINE  
LAST CONTACT WITH UNSC: 4 YEARS, 7 MONTHS, 10 DAYS  
LOCATION: UNKNOWN  
CREW CAPACITY: 782  
CREW SURVIVING: 1_

Cortana didn't see anything that could help her, so she brought a schematic of the _Dawn_. Several red rings appeared in multiple places throughout the ship, indicating several integrity failures. Cortana knew that, in this situation, it meant only one thing: they were being boarded. She ruled out the UNSC as a possibility, since they would have first tried to initiate contact. That left only one other possibility, and she did not like it one bit.

She immediately brought up the cryo chamber's control interface, all the while becoming increasingly agitated. A schematic Cryo-Tube 16's single occupant appeared, alongside life signs and cryo-tube diagrams, as well as a single prompt:

REACTIVATE

Cortana hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should wake the occupant up or not. Seeing no other way, she accessed the prompt.

_FOD=9939 DECK 4 / CRYO SUBDECK. ARRAY=93  
CRYOGENIC SYSTEM SHUTDOWN . . .  
STASIS CONVERSION IN PROCESS . . ._

ACTIVE

Cortana sighed as she turned to observe Cryo-Tube 16. As air pumped into the tube and the ice covering the glass surface melted away, she remembered the advice given to her by the occupant all those years ago. It was time to follow it through.

"Wake up, Chief. I need you."

* * *

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 groggily regained consciousness, his vision blurring for a bit. At first he couldn't tell where he was, his confusion evident when he slammed his gauntlets into the glass surface in front of him. But just as he was about to break free, a familiar voice echoed through the speakers of the cryo-tube:

"Chief! Easy. You've been out for a while."

"Cortana? Where are we?"

"Were still adrift on the _Dawn_," Cortana replied.

"Why did you wake me?" the Chief asked.

She seemed to not hear his question as she said, "Hang on. Bringing your systems online now." At the same time, his Heads-Up-Display appeared on the inside of his visor. It looked different from the HUD he had used before during the Battle of the Ark. Cortana seemed to noticed his confusion. "I rewrote your suit's firmware while you were out."

"You've been busy," John chuckled.

"Activating the ship's gravity generators."

As she said that, the debris floating around the cryo bay fell to the deck as the Frigate's gravity was restored. Among the debris, the Chief noted, was an M6H _Magnum_ Personal Defence Weapon System. He made a mental note to grab the pistol and the MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle he had stored in the cryo bay before he was put on ice.

"Chief, look up. You need to pull the manual release," Cortana said.

As he looked up, he saw a lever right above his head. He reached up, pulled it down, and with his hands pushed the casket open. The SPARTAN-II climbed out of the tube, grabbed the Assault Rifle stored beside him, checked the rifle, and walked up to Cortana's holo-tank.

"Seems like old times," she chuckled.

John smiled behind his visor. "Ready to get back to work?"

Cortana crossed her arms and replied, "I thought you'd never ask."

Her hologram disappeared as the Chief pulled out the data crystal containing her. He inserted the chip into his neural interface, the familiar cool mercury feeling filling his mind as Cortana intergrated herself with the MJOLNIR Mk-VI suit.

_Yep, just like old times_, John thought.

He walked over to the pistol, picked it up, made sure it was loaded, and placed it on the magnetic clamp on his right thigh.

As he readied he his Assault Rifle, Cortana filled him in on the situation. "We've got intrusion alerts lighting up on multiple decks. Our best bet to figure out who's boarding us is the observation deck—four floors up."

_Well, that explains why she woke me up. Glad she kept her promise._ "Could it be a rescue team?" asked John just before the ship rumbled violently.

"I wouldn't bet on it," she said.

Acknowledging that there could be hostiles aboard, the Master Chief proceeded out of the cryo bay and across the walkway into the next room. A hologram of the stern half of the dawn floated in the center. As he entered the room, the ship shook again, causing the Spartan to stumble. He immediately reached out a hand to steady himself on something, which just happened to be a console that contained the ship's diagnostics. As his hand touched the pad, a diagnostic sounded through the room's speakers:

_WEAPONS SYSTEMS—ONLINE._

After regaining his balance, John looked back at the hologram, noticing that some areas of the ship were now highlighted, indicating fully activated weapons. Glad that the _Dawn_ would be able to hold her own in a fight if need be, even when severed in half, he continued on out of the and proceeded down a hallway.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Four years, seven months, ten days."

The Master Chief was astonished. They've been out here for almost five years? "Somebody should have found us by now."

Just as the Spartan entered the next hallway, an orange energy field suddenly passed through the corridor, as well as through the Master Chief.

"What's that?"

"Sensor scan, high intensity! Doesn't match any known patterns!"

"How close are we to the observation deck?" he asked.

"It's directly above us," Cortana replied.

Realizing the need to make haste, John sprinted through another room and down the next hallway. Eventually, he arrived at the elevator entrance.

"The elevator doors look sealed tight," said Cortana. Acknowledging, the Spartan shouldered the MA5C and put his hands between the doors. Using his enhanced strength, he proceeded to force them open.

"Chief, be careful...!"

Cortana's warning came too late as the Chief forced open the doors, causing the room he was in to immediately lose pressure. A large crate behind the Spartan slammed into him, causing him to fly across the depressurized elevator shaft. He grabbed onto a nearby ledge on the other side as the crate continued to fall down the shaft.

"Because some areas might have lost pressure!"

"Right." _Now, she tells me._

John started climbing up the shaft, slowly but surely. As soon as he got to the fourth ledge, he looked around for a place to grab on to, noticing an area to his left.

"Chief, watch out!"

At Cortana's warning, he looked up just in time to see debris falling towards him. Quickly, he jumped to the left and grabbed on to another ledge, barely missing the debris and watching it fall past him.

"I didn't realize the ship had deteriorated so badly," Cortana said.

The Chief resumed his climb, jumping back to the left as a large section of the shaft broke off and fell past him. He continued to dodge more debris, eventually reaching the observation floor. He pulled himself up and through the open elevator doors into a mist-filled room.

Just as he was about to stand up, the air in front of him wavered as a blue-armored Elite decloaked and raised an energy sword, about to strike him down. Years of combat saved him as he caught the Elite's sword arm. The alien spread his mandibles and roared at him. The Chief quickly punched him across the face, both his and the Elite's shields flaring as the fist made contact. He then grabbed his mandibles, turned around, and threw him down the shaft. The Elite's roars faded as the alien plunged to his death.

The encounter left John confused. _Didn't we make peace with the Elites?_ he thought. He voiced his confusion to Cortana. "I thought we had a truce with the Covenant."

"A lot can happen in four years, Chief. Either way, he's probably not alone. We should be careful."

Acknowledging, the Spartan left the room and made his way to the Observation Room. As he was about to enter though, he saw a red-armored Elite with his back to him, trying to activate a terminal. Multiple Grunts with rebreathers were patrolling the deck below him. Two weapon crates flanked each side of the central platform, loaded with M6H Magnums, MA5D Assault Rifles, and M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Fragmentation Grenades.

Deciding that the Elite needed to be taken out first, he shouldered his MA5C and unsheathed the Combat Knife attached on his upper-left forearm.

_Time to get back to work_, John thought as he proceeded to sneak up behind the Elite.

* * *

**Unkown Location, 21 BBY**

It didn't take Ahsoka long to pinpoint the distress signal. It came from the ship, one vastly different from the alien ships in both size and design, that was slowly approaching the metal planet. Well, "ship" might not be used to describe it anymore.

What she was seeing was not a whole ship, rather half a ship. From a distance, it looked like someone or something had taken a gigantic lightsaber and cleaved it in two, though what happened to the other half she didn't know. Multiple pieces of debris that had broken off floated around the wreck. What looked like either the ships bridge or observation deck sat on top, with a large mass (possibly either a vehicle or hanger bay) hanging from the bottom. On the starboard side (the side she was currently looking at), the hull was dotted with turrets that were either offline or damaged beyond repair, as well as the words _Forward Unto Dawn_. A large vertical wing was at the rear of the ship, with with some sort of symbol emblazoned in the middle of it, an avian creature sitting on top of a planet and the letters UNSC on the bottom.

Ahsoka was still confused as to who the UNSC was. Kriff, she was more confused as to who the bigger alien fleet belonged to. Just who are these guys?

Speaking of which, the biggest ship of said fleet started launching multiple craft out of one of its massive hanger bays. A few of them had a bulbous look to them, with one engine on each side, a turret on the front, and what appeared to be boarding arms attached underneath. Many more looked like fighters, with long wings and two elongated guns on the front. The rest of the craft...well, she couldn't figure out what they were. They were teardrop-shaped, that much she could tell, but she didn't see any weapons on them.

Ahsoka tried reaching out with the Force, to see if she could gain anything from these aliens. The problem was...she couldn't. While she could feel a strong presence, it wasn't coming from them, and it wasn't coming from the wreck. All she could feel was nothing, just an empty void.

_No Force signature? _she thought. _Wait...that means these guys evolved without the Force. But, if that's true, why do I still feel a presence here. And why can't I find it?_

She could see a few of the bulbous craft latch on to the hull of the wreck, with a few others heading to the top of the ship. Meanwhile, a squadron of the winged and teardrop-shaped craft broke off from the main force and headed on a new course...towards her!

"Okay, so they don't have a Force signature," she said to herself, "but I shouldn't panic. Besides, maybe they want to meet me."

No sooner had the words left her mouth that her fighter started shaking from impacts as the small squadron fired blue and purple bolts of plasma at her. Immediately, she pulled the Delta-7B upwards, gunned her engines and sped over them. She looked back just in time to see the fighters turn around chase after her, firing their weapons as they did.

Ahsoka realized that she won't be able to escape them. The enemy fighters were fast, maneuverable, and possessed weapons that pack a punch. She was going to have to fight her way out, so she set off...right towards the wrecked ship.

In front of her, more of the craft broke off from the main squadron and headed straight for her. As soon as they were in range, Ahsoka fired her fighter's weapons at them, green lasers crossing the distance between her and the enemies in seconds. A few of the winged craft immediately exploded in a purple fireball as the lasers tore through them, while some of the teardrop-shaped ones simply shrugged off the attack when a blue-silvery field suddenly snapped into existence around them. It didn't protect them long though, as she let out another barrage which brought the barriers down and left them unprotected from the bolts. A few more explosions later, and they joined the debris surrounding the wreck.

She continued to fire at more and more enemies, as well as dodging their shots, as she neared the broken ship. Suddenly, the bridge (or what she assumed was the bridge) of the wreck came alive as the blast shields covering the outside slowly slid up. At the same time, a small squadron of five of the winged fighters approaching it broke off at the last minute and flew past it. Said squadron was now flying towards her while two of the bulbous ones dropped into the bridge's view. The boarding arms under them extended outward as they split off and flanked both sides of the bridge. The arms quickly punched through the glass (how they did that without breaking it she didn't know), a small amount of air escaping as it did. Already, she could see blue and green flashes coming from the inside, as well as yellow flashes, meaning that someone or something was still alive and fighting back.

The small winged fighters were now coming towards her. Luckily, she remembered that these craft didn't have shields like their teardrop-shaped cousins did. She let loose another barrage of green bolts at them, causing three of them to explode while the other two lost their left wing and right wing respectively.

Purple and blue bolts continued to fly past her as she raced towards the wreck, the fighters behind her gaining on her. She considered turning around and fighting them. Just as she was about to though, she caught sight of one of the teardrop-shaped fighters heading towards the bridge on what she thought was an attack run.

Taking no chances, and realizing that the survivor may need help, Ahsoka set her fighter on an intercept course with enemy craft. As soon as she was in range, she fired a continuous barrage at it, bringing down it's shields and eventually destoying it.

As soon as the Delta-7B shot past the bridge, more and more fighters started swarming around her. Realizing that she herself needed help, she keyed on her comms. She didn't know if she was anywhere near Republic space, but she was in unknown space fighting against an unknown enemy that was quickly overwhelming her. As soon as the comms were on she started speaking:

"This is Ahsoka Tano of the Galactic Republic! I'm trapped in unknown space and under attack by a fleet of unknown enemies! I need immediate assistance! Any Republic forces, please respond!"

As she dodged more shots and weaved in and out through the cloud of fighters, she waited for a response. A few moments later, though, she got an unexpected suprise:

"_Unknown craft, this is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 of the United Nations Space Command frigate_ Forward Unto Dawn_. Unknown craft, do you read?"_

* * *

**Observation Deck, _UNSC Forward Unto Dawn_  
July 21st, 2557**

Sangheili Commander Gor 'Varlan was getting fustrated. After he and the squad of Unggoy Storm he led had boarded the wreck, he had expected to encounter enemy resistance. Instead they had found no life signs, no evidence of any humans. They had continued to the ship's Observation Deck unapposed, which led to himself standing here, trying to activate a terminal while his squad patrolled below the central platform.

So busy was he trying to gain access that he didn't notice someone sneaking up behind until a metal knife materialized in front of him. By then, it was too late. The knife was pushed up through the gap of his lower jaw, through his mouth, and straight into his skull. The knife didn't pierce his brain right away, but it was enough for its owner to get some leverage as the Commander was pushed up a foot in the air and forcefully slammed head first into the deck. The last thing 'Varlan saw was the green armor and golden visor of the Demon before the knife finally pierced his brain and everything went black.

The Master Chief pulled his knife out of the Elite's skull. As he sheathed it, the Grunts, alerted to his presence when he assassinated the Commander, fired on his position with their plasma pistols. Green balls of plasma splashed against his shields as he brought up his pistol and fired. His first shot hit a Grunt Storm straight through the mouth, killing him instantly while spraying blue blood. Another shot saw another Grunt gasping for breath as his rebreather was severed. A shot to the head put him out of his misery.

_Two down, four to go._ John vaulted over the right side of the platform, landing right in front of another gas-sucker. A shot through the neck brought him down as another Grunt fired an overcharge at the Spartan, bringing down his shields to zero. He fired off a round as he moved into cover, nailing him in head. He reloaded the pistol as he waited for his shields to recharge. Once the charge went back to one hundred percent, he moved out of cover and shot two rounds at a Grunt in the middle of overcharging his plasma pistol. The first round went through the alien's stomach while the other pierced his head. The dead Grunt fell to the floor as he released the trigger, the green bolt hitting the ceiling.

The remaining Grunt brought out two plasma grenades, placed one in each hand, armed them, and proceeded to run at the Spartan intent on bringing him down with him. He didn't get far, however, as a round went through his skull and he fell to the ground still clutching the grenades. Two seconds later, both grenades exploded, meaty chunks blowing in every direction. The methane pack ruptured, the gas ignited, and a few pieces of the Grunt were incinerated.

"That's the last of them," Cortana said. "Find the override for the blast shields so we can see what we're up against."

"Got it," acknowledged John. Making sure to grab some frags and a few plasma grenades, he climbed back up to the platform and headed to the terminal. On the ground beside the Elite Commander's corpse, he saw a Type-55 Storm Rifle. Knowing that there will be more like the Commander, he clamped the pistol on his thigh and picked up the weapon. He touched the screen on the terminal and the blast shields all around the room started to rise on his command.

"The good news is these Covenant aren't outfitted like standard military," informed Cortana. "It's possible we just came across a rogue salvage ship."

But, once the blast shields were fully raised, they immediately saw that was not the case. Out in space were multiple _CRS_-class Light Cruisers as well as a few _RCS_-class Armored Cruisers approaching the _Dawn_. Squadrons of fighters and dropships filled the space inbetween. A flight of Type-27 XMF Space Banshees sped towards them before splitting up at the last second and disappearing from view.

"..._Or_ we might have stumbled into an entire Covenant fleet," Cortana added.

"Maybe they haven't recognized us," remarked John.

"That's _one _possibility..." She trailed off as two Type-44 Phantoms with boarding arms attached underneath dropped into view in front of them and split off. "Landing craft, flanking us!"

The two Phantoms split off to different sides of the deck. As they took their positions, the boarding arms extended outwards and punched through the glass, causing the room to depressurize and anything not bolted to the floor to fly across the room in different directions. It wasn't until force fields popped around the arms that the room stopped depressurizing. The System PA came on as Elite and Grunt Rangers started boarding:

[Warning—atmosphere breach. Activating emergency barricades.]

"The decompression put the room into lockdown!" Cortana said. "It'll take a few minutes to repressurize."

As the Covenant soldiers fired on his position, John primed a frag grenade and threw it into the middle of a lance on the right flank. A few seconds later, the grenade exploded, sending shrapnel and a few Grunts flying in different directions. The Elite Ranger leading the lance had his shields brought down a quarter, but otherwise was unscathed.

The Chief vaulted down again and fired the Storm Rifle, pelting the Elite's shields with blue plasma bolts. At the same time the shields were taken out, the weapon overheated. The Elite saw this and fired his own Storm Rifle. The Spartan took cover under the central platform, shouldered his weapon, and brought out the MA5C. He stepped out of cover and fired a continues barrage, filling the Elite's body with bullets. As the Assault Rifle's ammo counter hit zero and the weapon clicked empty, the Elite fell forward dead, blue-purple blood pooling from multiple holes under his body.

The second lance behind him disembarked from the second Phantom and let loose with their weapons. The Chief was forced back into cover as green and blue plasma bolts peppered the deck beside him. He primed a plasma grenade and threw it at the lance, managing to stick the Elite in the chest. A few seconds later, the Ranger exploded in a shower of meat and blood, taking a few Grunts with him. The remaining two Grunts, seeing that their leader and brethren were dead, dropped their Plasma Pistols and started running around, screaming and waving their arms in the air.

The Spartan drew both his combat knife and his Magnum. With his right hand, he fired a round at one Grunt while with his left threw the knife at the other. The bullet ruptured the methane pack, causing the grunt to fly across the room like a rocket before exploding into crispy, meaty chunks. The last Grunt had his skull penetrated by the knife as it flew through the air. He was dead before he hit the deck.

"I'm picking up some comm chatter on the Covenant Battlenet," Cortana said. "Apparently, we're not the only enemy out here. There's dozens of fighters engaging a single enemy craft, and it's putting up a hell of a fight."

"UNSC reinforcements, probably? Maybe from a Prowler?" John asked as he retrieved his knife.

"If there was a Prowler, I would have picked it up by now, even while it was cloaked. Also, if it was reinforcements, why would they send a single fighter to help us? No, I think were dealing with—Chief, Seraph on bombing run!"

The Chief looked out the window and saw a Type-31 XMF Seraph flying towards the Observation Deck. He braced himself as the teardrop-shaped fighter drew closer, charging up its weapons and preparing to fire.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, green laser bolts impacted on the fighter, draining its shields and causing the Seraph to explode in a purple fireball as the continuous barrage tore it to shreds. A second later, the Chief saw where the barrage came from.

The craft was unlike anything the Spartan had ever seen. The fighter was triangular shaped, with a glass domed cockpit and a vertical wing on each side. It was painted red, white, and green, and it looked like it had been recently damaged as there was an exposed spot. There was also a wierd symbol one of its wings, a yellow circle surround by a red ring.

As the craft flew past the Observation Deck, followed by dozens of fighters, Cortana spoke up again. "That craft is sending out a distress signal. Patching it through now." As she finished, a young female voice spoke through the comms:

_"This is Ahsoka Tano of the Galactic Republic! I'm trapped in unknown space and under attack by a fleet of unknown enemies! I need immediate assistance! Any Republic forces, please respond!"_

To the Chief, this just left more questions than answers. Who was this Galactic Republic? Could they be Insurrectionists? "Cortana, anything on this _Galactic Republic_?"

"Nothing in neither the UNSC nor Covenant Databases," Cortana answered. "As I was saying before, Chief, I think were dealing with a First Contact scenario."

"Can you patch me through to that craft? If this is First Contact, and the Covenant is attacking, we may gain a new ally."

"My thoughts exactly. Opening a comm channel...Alright, your in."

John then started speaking: "Unknown craft, this is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 of the United Nations Space Command frigate_ Forward Unto Dawn_. Unknown craft, do you read?" A second later, he got a response:

_"Yes! Thank the Force, yes, I read you! I received your distress signal, but I'm in trouble myself! Do you need help? And who the Kriff is attacking me?"_

"This is UNSC AI Cortana. Yes, we need help. We've been trapped out here for almost five years and need assistance. Also, the enemy your engaging is called the Covenant. The UNSC has been at war with them for over thirty years."

_"Great! I get away from one war and end up in the middle of another! Just my luck! It's like the Force is against me for some reason!"_

_This isn't making any sense, _thought John. _First, what is this "Force" she keeps talking about? Second, who are the Galactic Republic? And third, what war is she talking about?_

"Miss Tano," Cortana said, "How many ships do you see, besides us, that is? How big is the fleet?"

_"Just call me Ahsoka, and the fleet is massive. There's about a hundred of the finned ships, both big and small. The biggest ship they have is one that looks like a giant hook, over five kilometers long."_

That gave the Chief pause. If a _CAS_-class Assault Carrier was here, then it was only a matter of time before they were all killed.

"We need to get off this ship," he said.

"We've got bigger problems...We've got a Light Cruiser on an intercept course!"

He looked out the window and saw that Cortana was correct. The purple warship was indeed getting closer to the _Dawn_.

"Ahsoka, we saw you take out that Seraph before it could destroy the Observation Deck," Cortana said. "Does your fighter have anything we can use against that ship?"

_"No, nothing that's strong enough! I may have taken down a lot of fighters, but mine isn't equipped with any torpedoes, at least, not anymore!"_

Then the Chief got an idea. It was crazy, but it could work.

"Cortana, didn't the ship's sensors say we still had weapons systems online?" he asked.

"Yes," Cortana confirmed, "but since the _Dawn_ was torn in half, we can't access the weapons stations. The only ones that are active are the Hyperion Missiles, but we'll have to fire them manually on the outer hull."

"What about the point-defence turrets? Is there any way you can access them without the weapons stations?"

"As a matter of fact, there's a secondary terminal one deck below us that will bring the turrets online. I can set them to where they won't attack Ahsoka and only attack the Covenant. It will help us keep the fighters at bay, but I can't guarantee that they'll last long."

"Understood. Ahsoka, keep the fighters off of us for as long as you can. We'll get the PDTs online to help you out."

_"Alright, but you need to hurry! My shields won't last long under this much punishment!"_

"Affirmative. Keep your comms open." With that, John holstered his Magnum, switched out his MA5C for an MA5D, picked up a Plasma Pistol from a dead Grunt Ranger, clamped it on his left thigh, and then proceeded out the room and into the elevator bays. Once he stepped into the one on the left, the doors slid shut behind him, and the elevator started descending.

"Chief," Cortana said over the private comm, "while we were talking with Ahsoka, I managed to hack into her fighter's database. There's a wealth of information about where she comes from. Apparently, this _Galactic Republic_ has existed for thousands of years, includes hundreds of different species, and spans an entire galaxy. Also, I compared the star charts I found with star charts of both the UNSC and the Covenant, and get this: they don't match!"

"Wait. Are you saying that Ahsoka..."

"Is from another galaxy? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I don't know how she ended up here, though. I'm still working on that."

"That's a question to ask her about when we get the chance. For now, let's concentrate on getting the weapons online and getting off this ship," the Chief said as the elevator came to a halt. As soon as the doors opened, he stepped out and hurried down through some corridors.

When he came to a set of doors, he stopped when Cortana spoke up again. "I'm picking up contacts behind that door, six to be precise. One Elite and five Grunts."

With that in mind, John shouldered the Assault Rifle and brought up both the Plasma Pistol and the Magnum. He took his position in front of the door while he overcharged the Plasma Pistol. When the door rose up from the ground, he let the burst fly as soon as he saw the enemies.

The Elite Commander tried to sidestep it, but the overcharge tracked his movement and slammed into him, taking out his shields. While the Elite was momentarily stunned, the Chief fired off one shot from his Magnum. The bullet drilled through the alien's skull, with blood and brain matter spraying out the back. The Elite fell to the deck, dead.

After seeing their leader fall, three Grunts started firing at the Chief while the other two started running around screaming. He returned fire with the Magnum and Plasma Pistol, picking off each gas-sucker until all of them joined the Elite on the floor. He dropped the spent Plasma Pistol, reloaded his Magnum, and continued onward through the hall and turned right into another.

As he approached the door at the end, it slid open, revealing an Elite Commander, two Grunt Rangers, a blue-armored Grunt Storm, and a Grunt Imperial. As soon as he saw them, he fired the Magnum at the Grunt Rangers, catching both of them in the head before switching over to the Imperial and killing him through the neck.

The Grunt Storm pulled out a Plasma Grenade and primed it. Just as he threw it, the Elite started running towards the Chief, firing his Storm Rifle as he did. Unfortunately, this put him in the Grenade's path, and instead of sticking to the Spartan, it stuck ___him_ in the back. Knowing what would happen if he didn't act now, John brought his leg up and kicked the Elite back towards the Grunt. A second later, they both exploded in a blue flash mixed with a mist of blood and gore.

The area once more cleared, the Chief stepped into a room with windows along the front and stairs leading down to another floor to the right. In front of the windows was the terminal that controlled the PDTs, as well as an AI pedastal beside it. As he moved towards it, Cortana spoke up again.

"There's the terminal. Pull me and load me into that pedastal." The Chief reached back behind his helmet, pulled out Cortana's AI chip, and inserted her into it. Cortana's formed popped up a split second later.

"Alright, I'm in! Give me a second...Uploading information...Almost...Done! Chief, yank me and activate the PDTs!"

John pulled out Cortana, put her back into his helmet, and touched the screen on the terminal.

"That should do it! Ahsoka, the PDTs are coming online! How are you holding up?" asked Cortana.

* * *

"Not good!" Ahsoka yelled in the comms as she took down another Space Banshee. "My shields are almost down and I'm getting attacked from nearly every side!"

She was in a tight spot, and she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. Covenant fighters were swarming all around her, trying to bring her down.

Ahsoka was growing fearful as they closed in. It only escalated further when she saw a large squadron of Seraphs and Space Banshees coming directly towards her. She could only watch and hold her breath as they charged up their weapons.

Suddenly, just as they were about to destroy her, the ___Dawn_'s PDTs fired on the swarms, yellow streaks of light impacting on the fighters and blowing them to bits. At the same time, the fighter swarm behind her scattered as the turrets targeted them as well.

At first, Ahsoka was confused. Just what the Kriff were those turrets firing? Then it hit her.

___Wait a minute...are they using...slug throwers?!_ she thought. ___How can such an advanced space-faring race still be using something that was phased out millenia ago?!_

___"That cruiser's shields are down!"_ the AI, Cortana, spoke through the comms. ___"Assuming they don't raise them, that missile's going to be one heck of a surprise!"_

Ahsoka decided to speak what was on her mind this time. "I don't get it. How can you be so sure that one missile is enough to take down a ship that size?"

___"The Hyperion's basically a nuclear bomb,"_ the man, Chief, said. ___"Since their shields are down, one missile is more than enough to eliminate it."_

___"As such," _Cortana informed, ___"you may want stay clear of that ship when it goes off."_

Ahsoka was horrified. ___Nuclear weapons?! Just how primitive are they?!_

Just as she was about to answer, she heard explosions coming over the comms. Worrying, she called out, "Guys?! Are you okay?!"

___"We're fine. Just some Grunts going suicidal," _Cortana said.

___"These Covenant seem more fanatical than the ones we fought before," _Chief mused.

Ahsoka wanted to know what he meant by that, but by then, the Covenant fighters had regrouped and was now firing on her again. This time, though, it was different. While half of the swarm was attacking her, the other half started attacking the PDTs. A Seraph managed to get in a lucky shot as it released a Plasma Torpedo. It hit a PDT, causing the turret to explode in a yellow fireball. The Seraph's victory was short-lived, however, as slugs from another PDT tore through it and destroyed it.

As she continued to dodge more plasma bolts, Ahsoka spoke up again. "Guys, I don't want worry you, but half of the swarm are attacking the turrets! Plus, my shields are nearly out! How far are you from the missile?"

_"We're almost there! Approaching the airlock now!" _Cortana said. A few seconds later, she added, _"Chief, the auxiliary launch station should be to your left out of the airlocks."_

Suddenly, the comms started to fill with static. Ahsoka thought she was being jammed, but she managed to hear Cortana say distortedly, _"You'll have to prime the launch for ignition!"_ before the static cleared up.

_"Cortana?"_ Chief asked. Apparently, he had heard her distortion as well.

_"It's nothing. Just get to the launch station."_

_Nothing? How can it be nothing? Wait...is Cortana-, _Ahsoka was cut off from her thoughts as her fighter shook violently. She looked to the viewscreen in front of her, and her fears were confirmed: she no longer had any shields.

Realizing that she needed protection, Ahsoka turned her fighter around and headed straight for the _Dawn_. The PDTs ignored her approach and instead hammered the fighters behind her. Multiple Space Banshees exploded instantly while a few Seraphs were simply disabled. The rest scattered.

As soon as she got close to the _Dawn_, she saw two dropships making it through the screen of fire. The bulbous craft hovered near where the launch station was, dropped off their soldiers, and headed away. At the same time, she saw the airlock at the far right slide open.

* * *

The first thing John noticed when he exited the airlock was a BR85 Battle Rifle floating in front of him. Discarding the Type-50 Concussion Rifle he had acquired earlier, he grabbed the Battle Rifle while activating the magnetic soles of his armored feet, keeping him in place. He looked outwards toward space and saw that the Light Cruiser had moved considerably closer to the _Dawn_. He also noticed that the severed frigate had gotten closer to the metal planet.

"Uh, I'm sorry-did I miss orbiting a _Forerunner planet_ at some point?" Cortana said.

"One thing at a time," said the Chief as Ahsoka's fighter came into view. He immediately saw that it was even more damaged than before but still flyable. "Ahsoka, how are you holding up?"

_"I'm okay, but my shields are down. I just managed to get here so the PDTs can give me time for them to recharge. Also, some of those bulbous dropships managed to land some soldiers near the launch station. I count at least fifteen of them."_

The Spartan looked to the left and saw that she was correct. There were at least three Elite Rangers as well as a few Jackals taking positions at the far end, while the rest (all of them Grunt Rangers) were down below running towards his position.

Just then, an ionized beam of white-hot plasma, fired from a Jackal's Type-27 Beam Rifle, grazed his shields and brought them down to seventy-five percent. He took cover back in the airlock and waited for his shields to recharge. Once they were back to full strength, he leaned out, brought up the Battle Rifle, and fired a three-round burst. While he didn't hear the weapon fire in the vacuumn of space, he saw the results of it as the bullets crossed the distance between him and the sniper in milliseconds. The bullets passed through the Jackal's head, leaving the corpse floating lifeless. The Chief target the other two Jackals, one of them holding a Type-51 Carbine, and after two more bursts achieved the same result.

By now, the Grunts had gotten close enough to where their Plasma Pistols and Type-33 Needlers were effective. As soon as the spotted the Chief, they opened fire.

The Chief quickly reloaded the Battle Rifle and, while dodging the Needler rounds, fired on the Grunts, catching each of them either in the head or in their methane packs. The ones shot in the head gently floated off into space while the ones with ruptured methane tanks shot off like bottle rockets flying through the air and eventually exploding like fireworks. One such Grunt was sent flying towards an Elite Ranger holding a Carbine. When the methane pack exploded, not only did it destroy the Grunt, but it also brought the Elite's shields down. John saw this and fired another burst at the Elite's head, killing him instantly.

He quickly moved up as the remaining two Elite Rangers fired on him with their Storm Rifles. The Chief shouldered his Battle Rifle and grabbed a floating Needler while moving into cover again. After reloading the weapon, he stepped out of cover and fired at the closest Elite. Seven pink needles punched through the shields and embedded themselves in the Elite's chest. A split-second later, the needles detonated, and the Elite blew apart in pink mist. The Chief fired again at the remaining Elite as the alien tried to move out of the way; however, the needles tracked his movement, and a few moments later, the Elite joined his brother in the afterlife.

The path to the launch station now clear, John continued across the hull and up the ramp. A Jackal with a Carbine tried to get the drop on him but was quickly put down before he could do anything. A second later, he saw a terminal at the far end.

"There's the launch station!" Cortana exclaimed. The Chief hurried to the console and touched the screen.

MISSILE LAUNCH CONTROL

INITIATED

* * *

_"Launch initiated!" _Cortana announced through the comms. At the same time, Ahsoka saw a long, large missile slowly rise out of a compartment in the _Dawn_'s hull. But, suddenly, as the missile was about to fire, it stopped rising.

_"Great, the blast door's jammed! The missile won't fire until it's clear. Chief, get down there!"_

At the same time Cortana said that, two more Covenant dropships descended from the screen of fire and quickly offloaded their troops before heading off. The path to missile was now blocked.

Deciding to help out, Ahsoka shot towards the Covenant troops and fired her weapons. Green laser bolts raked across the hull, most of them impacting the enemy soldiers. By the time her fighter shot past the missile, all of the soldiers were dead.

"You're good to go, Chief!" She said. "The path is clear!"

When she turned her fighter around, she saw that the green-armored soldier was already at the blast door. She watched in amazement as he pushed and then kicked the mechanism into place.

_"You did it!" _Cortana exclaimed. _"Get back!"_

Finally free, the massive missile launched itself from the silo and shot off towards the Light Cruiser, which was in the process of charging up some sort of ventral green energy weapon. Ahsoka saw the missile disappear behind the purple warship. At first, she thought the missile had missed, but a second later, the Light Cruiser lurched to its side as a massive yellow fireball appeared behind it. The impact and explosion caused the purple ship to break apart, the large pieces flying past the severed frigate.

Suddenly, just as Ahsoka was about to celebrate, a beam of orange light shot off from the metal planet and enveloped the green soldier down below. At the same time, another beam of light from the planet, this time blue, enveloped Ahsoka's fighter. She didn't know what this was, but then, she felt a massive disturbance in the Force.

It was like she couldn't breathe. She felt not only a dark presence, but also a light one. It was as if both were fighting with each other. But, as she tried to make sense of it, as soon as the presences appeared, they both disappeared. A second after, the beams of light also disappeared.

_"Chief?" _Cortana said.

"What was that?" Ahsoka gasped out.

_"The Covenant weren't the ones scanning us,"_ Chief said.

Just then, a section of the planet started opening, revealing a blue-white energy field beyond it. The Light Cruisers and Armored Cruisers nearest to the opening suddenly broke apart as everything was starting be pulled in.

_"So, _now _can we worry about the giant metal planet?!"_

As Cortana said this, Ahsoka felt her fighter being pulled in as well. Panicking, she cried out, "I'm being pulled in! What's happening?!"

_"It's using a gravity well to pull us inside the surface!"_ informed Cortana. _"We've gotta hurry. The second we cross the dome's event horizon, it's atmosphere is going to tear us apart! Ahsoka, your fighter's small enough to make it inside intact! Whatever you do, don't fight it! We'll find our own way off the ship!"_

"How?! You just said that it will tear you apart! You'll die!"

_"Haven't you heard, Ahsoka? Spartans never die," _Chief said as cut communications with her.

Ahsoka followed Cortana's advice and let her fighter be pulled in, but she still had to avoid hitting large pieces of debris. As she passed the event horizon, Ahsoka kept thinking about one thing: _Just what did he mean when he said _Spartans never die_?_

* * *

As John cut communications with Ahsoka, he asked Cortana, "Where are the closest escape pods?"

"Aft vehicle bay! I'm tagging the closest airlock, _go!_"

An objective appeared on the Chief's HUD and he sprinted across the hull towards it. All around him, anything and everything that was not bolted down was pulled towards the opening. Eventually, he made into the airlock as the door closed behind him and he waited for the room to repressurize.

[Hull integrity at thirty percent.]

As soon as the room was repressurized, the door opened and the Chief sprinted through the ship, avoiding collapsing debris and exploding hallways.

"All but one of the grav generators just went dark!" Cortana explained.

Eventually, John made it to the doors leading to the escape pods, but as soon as he approached them, one was ripped from its hinges.

"Chief!" Cortana yelled as the bay rapidly depressurizes when its ripped away. The Chief grabbed onto a railing, but it was pulled into the vacuum of space with him. His armored body slammed into the surrounding debris, draining his shields to zero.

"We're caught in the gravity well!" Cortana exclaimed.

"Can you track the escape pods?" he asked.

"Negative-_look out!_"

A large section of the _Dawn _slammed into a Light Cruiser, causing it to break in half. The Chief managed to get through the large gap before he hit another piece of debris.

The last thing John heard was Cortana yelling "CHIEF!" before a large piece of debris slammed into him and everything went black.

* * *

_**Well, that could've gone better. But, then again, it could've gone a lot worse. Let me know what you think, and don't forget to review.**_

_**Next chapter, we switch back to Ocelot and meet the rest of OMEGA team.**_


	4. PSA: MH17

_**AN: Okay, I know this isn't the chapter that I promised. I'm still working on Chapter 4 and it will be posted soon.**_

_**However, this needs to be addressed. I'm sure all of you heard on the news that MH17 was shot down, killing all 300 people. When I looked up theotherpianist's new update, hoping it was another chapter to Halo: Rise of the Empire, I found this instead, and it explains exactly how I feel about the attack. I asked theotherpianist, and he has granted me permission to repost his chapter, because this is a message that needs to be said, heard, and spread by everyone. As such, credit to this PSA belongs to him.**_

_**Disclaimer: We still don't know a lot about the attack, so don't go pointing fingers at anyone.**_

* * *

To the attackers of Malaysian Flight 17:

Okay seriously? It's one thing there to be a plane crash with 300 dead.

It's another to hear a missile shot it down at 33,000 feet over Ukraine.

A missile?

What have we come to?

Who in their right mind thought it it was their duty to "pull the trigger" and seemingly without warning and provocation shoot down a plane and kill-the victims of which contain at least three infants.

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. And here we have two different sides pointing fingers at each other

Seriously? How could you act like kindergartners on the playground after a fight when people fell from the sky!

Where is the ideals of responsibility?

Honesty?

Of a basic sense of human kindness?

How could you do such a thing? How could you with your wives, children, and other family push the button that took 300 away from their own families.

How could you?

I now ask why? Why, in the name of all things good did you commit this atrocity?

What justifies the three hundred murders of the innocent?

In the light of this are you having second thoughts? A guilty conscience? Because you took a look at your son or sister and saw a victim?

I can assure you that there is no mountain high enough to overshadow what you have done, No ocean large enough to clean the blood upon your hands, and no pit deep enough to cast you in,

And I hope it's a small consolation to you that you will be famous. Famous for a fireball at 33,000 feet trailing smoke, fire, parts,

Human lives.

May God have mercy on you.

* * *

_**In other words, I flip both birds and say...FUCK YOU!**_


End file.
